Qinghe City was a central city in the northern lands of Yan, bordering the south. A Qinghe River flowed past the city, and that was how it earned its name.
Thanks to this great river, Qinghe City's water transport had flourished over the past several centuries, driving the city's economy to rapid prosperity as well.
Even now, though the flames of war had spread here from time to time over the years, the presence of a great figure holding the fort meant that Qinghe City had remained largely unaffected.
Today's Qinghe City could firmly rank among the top three cities not only in the north, but throughout all of Great Yan. It was, without question, a northern supercity with a population exceeding one million!
It was September, the third month of autumn.
With the scorching summer having only just passed, the weather had finally begun to cool. The young masters and ladies of Qinghe City, who had been driven indoors by the heat for months, had at last received Heaven's blessing. At once, they called upon friends and companions, inviting one another to drift upon the boundless Qinghe River, play and make merry, compose poetry and match couplets, taste fine wine and delicacies, and enjoy the utmost bliss beneath the heavens.
For a time, the vast Qinghe River was filled everywhere with exquisite boats adorned with carved beams and painted rafters. Young masters and ladies in brocade robes, outstanding in both bearing and appearance, could be seen all around, along with ordinary folk rowing boats across the river for their own amusement.
Thus, outside all of Qinghe City lay a bustling scene of peace and prosperity, where the people lived and worked in contentment.
"Eh? What a prosperous city. I had long heard that Qinghe City in Qingyuan Prefecture, in the north of Great Yan, was incomparably flourishing. In years past, it was called the city at the heart of both northern and southern Yan. I thought that after more than a decade of war's devastation, it would be different. Yet even at a time like this, this place can still preserve such a flourishing sight. That is truly rare!"
Outside Qinghe City, Gu Han's eyes lit up as he looked at the countless figures and vessels around the harbor. Having traveled for months and endured hardship all along the way, he could not help but praise it aloud.
It was not that he had never seen the world. In fact, in his first life as a modern man, Gu Han had seen quite a few international metropolises more than ten times as prosperous as Qinghe City.
However, in these times of unceasing warfare, when the realm had yet to be unified, it was already no easy thing for other cities to avoid having starving corpses strewn across the ground or people exchanging children to eat. For them to be like Qinghe City—seemingly untouched by war, still bustling with heat and life, maintaining the appearance of a flourishing age—was simply beyond imagination!
"Haha! You must be from out of town, sir. It is only natural that you do not know how formidable our Qinghe City is. Would you care to hear this old man explain it to you?"
As soon as Gu Han finished speaking, an old man nearby asked him in clumsy Yan official speech. His face was wrinkled like rotten wood, and he wore a bamboo hat and coarse hemp clothes. His hair was mottled white, and he appeared to be around sixty or seventy years old.
A few months after returning to secular life, quite a few strands of black hair had grown back on Gu Han's head. Though not as long as other men's, it was not short either. He had casually tied it up with a grass rope, making him look rather like a wanderer of the martial world. No one would recognize him as a monk at first glance.
"Oh? How is it formidable? Please tell me in detail, boatman."
A trace of curiosity appeared on Gu Han's face. He smiled faintly and asked the old man.
"Haha, that is quite a long story. Would you be willing to come aboard this old man's boat for a cup of watered wine? I can explain it to you properly there."
Seeing that Gu Han was interested, the old boatman smiled excitedly and asked again.
"Fine. Then I'll charter your boat for the day. Take me out onto the river for a look."
Gu Han understood at once. He took out a lump of broken silver worth about five taels and tossed it to the boatman with a smile.
"Wonderful, sir. Please follow this old man."
At the sight of the gleaming silver in his arms, the old boatman's smile widened. He quickly led Gu Han through several twists and turns to a small boat by the harbor, about five or six meters long and a little over a meter wide.
"Girl, come out and receive our guest."
The moment the old boatman brought Gu Han aboard, he loosened the anchor and shouted toward the cabin. A pleasant female voice soon answered from within.
"I'm coming, Grandfather!"
Gu Han followed the voice and saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen stepping gracefully out from the crude cabin. She wore the ordinary clothes of a fisher family and had delicate, pretty features.
"Greetings, sir!"
The girl gave Gu Han a proper lady's curtsy and spoke gently.
"That's enough, girl. Go prepare the wine and dishes. This gentleman has chartered our whole boat today."
Seeing no unusual reaction on Gu Han's face, a flash of disappointment passed over the old boatman's expression as he instructed the girl.
"Yes, Grandfather!"
The girl obediently nodded, then returned to the cabin and began arranging the wine and food.
"Cast off!"
After watching the girl return to the cabin, the old boatman nodded in satisfaction. Then he gave a loud cry, his snow-white beard trembling wildly, and thrust his bamboo pole into the water. The little boat shot away from the harbor like an arrow released from the bow, heading into the distance.
"Sir, I did not finish what I was saying earlier. You asked how Qinghe City was formidable, but I wanted to bring you aboard, so I did not answer. Now that you have favored this old man's business, I shall tell you all about it. Sir, do you still wish to hear?"
Once they had left the harbor, the old boatman seemed to grow exceptionally excited. Not only did he busy himself arranging wine and dishes for Gu Han, he also asked him warmly.
"Mm. Then tell me."
Gu Han took a bite of the dish the boatman's granddaughter had just brought over, drank a cup of watered wine, then smiled and nodded. He was indeed somewhat curious about the matter.
"Good! Then, sir, I shall begin from fifteen years ago."
Seeing Gu Han eat and drink, the old boatman seemed even happier as he explained.
"Fifteen years ago, after the previous King Yan passed away and the Crown Prince ascended the throne, it was not long before the realm fell into chaos and countless heroes rose together.
"In Jiangnan of Great Yan, King Tang Li Hanhai held sway. Of course, I have heard that Jiangnan has now fallen entirely under the control of the barbarians, so let us not speak of that for now.
"In the northwest, King Ming Zhu Hong ruled. Zhu Hong possessed great talent and broad strategy, managing the entire northwest until it was as solid as an iron barrel. Under him were the twin king-generals Xu Yuan and Chang Jian, both rare Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi martial artists. Few in the world could contend with their edge.
"As for the north, Great Yan's richest and broadest region, the feudal lords stood side by side. Leaving aside the smaller lords, there were three great lords alone. The entire north had been worn down by year after year of war, and the people could scarcely survive!"
As the old boatman spoke, he shook his head and sighed.
"Mm, I know of these three feudal lords as well. They are King Chen Liu Sijie, King Wei Zhao Xu, and King Zhou Zhang Ye. But what does that have to do with Qinghe City? Could Qinghe City be under one of those three?"
Gu Han answered as he ate and drank.
Though he had never paid attention to the wars between those feudal lords, he had still heard of the famed Three Kings. After all, they were figures as renowned as King Tang Li Hanhai and King Ming Zhu Hong. So long as one traveled outside, it would be difficult not to hear of them.
"No."
The old boatman shook his head.
"If Qinghe City were truly governed by those three kings, we would not have such good days now. No matter how prosperous a city under their control might be, it could not escape the effects of war. Even if it did not fall into ruin, it could never possess such a flourishing sight. Therefore, Qinghe City's master is not one of the Three Kings, but someone else."
"Oh? Who is it?"
Gu Han raised his brows and immediately asked.
"It is His Highness Prince Liu Zongzhou!"
The moment Gu Han spoke, the old boatman answered with admiration in his eyes.
"Mm, Prince Liu? What is this man's background?"
Hearing this unfamiliar title, doubt immediately rose in Gu Han's heart.
In the end, he knew far too little about the powerful and noble figures of this world. To others, such people might be formidable beyond measure, their authority reaching the heavens, a single word deciding life and death. Yet to him, they were merely ordinary people. No matter how they summoned wind and rain in the Outside World, no matter how omnipotent they seemed, how could they withstand his pair of iron fists?
"Aiya, sir, when it comes to Prince Liu, his origins are extraordinary. This Prince Liu is not like those feudal lords outside, who proclaimed themselves kings. His title was properly bestowed upon him by the emperor himself.
"Several centuries ago, Great Yan had just been founded. The Grand Ancestor was overjoyed and rewarded his meritorious ministers, granting kingships and noble ranks to the great generals under his command. The Liu King Ancestor possessed immense merit and formidable martial skill. He had already achieved Inner Qi, had saved the Grand Ancestor's life several times, and had won the Grand Ancestor's deep trust. Thus, he was granted the title of King of the First Rank, to be inherited generation after generation without replacement.
"At the same time, the small Qinghe City near the Qinghe River was bestowed upon the Prince Liu of that time as his fief. Only after several centuries of development did it become what it is today.
"Moreover, because the Liu Family has been rooted in Qinghe City for centuries, its strength has long accumulated to a terrifying depth. In peaceful times, it might not have shown itself, but the instant the realm fell into chaos, it bared its savage claws to the world.
"Not only are there several thousand Skin Tempering martial artists in the residence, already organized into an army, there are also several hundred Muscle Tendon Strengthening martial artists, dozens of Blood Tempering martial artists, and four or five Inner Qi masters. Its strength reaches the heavens.
"At present, although the Liu Family still has no intention of fighting for supremacy and is willing to shrink back within this tiny Qinghe City, its terrifying strength means that none of the three great northern feudal lords are willing to provoke it. That is why war rages outside, while Qinghe City remains filled with people coming and going, wearing the appearance of a flourishing age!"
The old boatman slowly chatted with Gu Han, discussing everything under heaven. Only after three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, after one pot of watered wine had been replaced by another, did the little boat finally arrive at a secluded stretch of the Qinghe River.
Apart from the faint outline of a large flower boat in the distance, there was no other trace of human habitation nearby.
"Sir, may this old man ask you a question?"
On the silent river, all around was stillness. Only the rippling water and the occasional cries of apes from both banks could be heard. The old boatman, who was rowing at the front of the boat, suddenly stopped. His old face, wrinkled like tree bark, was full of smiles as he asked Gu Han.
"What question?"
Gu Han, who had been leisurely admiring the scenery, paused at his words. He drained the watered wine in his cup in one gulp and returned the question with a smile.
"May I ask, honored guest, what do you think of the scenery here?"
Just as the old boatman was about to speak, the delicate-looking boat girl stepped lightly out of the cabin. Her voice was pleasant as she smiled.
"Mm. Green waves ripple, mountains and rocks rise around us, strange crags stand jaggedly, and white apes keep us company on both banks, their cries echoing in bursts. It is indeed a place of exceptional beauty.
"As such, it is also the perfect place for the two of you to bury your bones!"
Gu Han smiled and nodded. Then he slowly rose to his feet, and terrifying blood qi, like dragons and elephants, erupted from his body—as though stone shattered and heaven shook!
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